LEADING OFFAfter winning three in a row, Georgia State hosts a pair of midweek games, including a just-added contest with Morehouse College (Tuesday, 5 p.m.), followed by Wednesday’ s 5 p.m. game against Georgia Tech as GSU and Tech open their annual home-and-home.

The Panthers are coming off a weekend sweep of Eastern Illinois. GSU won 7-2 on Friday and 8-4 on Saturday before winning in 12 innings Sunday as Luke Leonard led off the 12th with a triple and scored on Mike Huggins’ two-out, walk-off single.

Georgia State is second in the nation in double plays turned with 18 through the first 10 games (1.8 per game).

Junior catcher Nick Gatewood is the Panthers’ leading hitter at .368 with two homers and seven RBI. He went 6-for-12 with a homer, four RBI and five runs scored in the Eastern Illinois series while catching 29 of the 30 innings. In Sunday’s win, he threw out two runners attempting to steal, picked off another runner at third and after EIU put the leadoff runner on in the 12th, he started a 2-6-3 double play on a bunt.

Senior shortstop Justin Jones is a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-America, earning second-team honors in 2017 after third-team accolades in 2016. His GPA, which is now 4.11, was the highest on the entire Academic America team.

The top pitcher for the Panthers is sophomore right-hander and Friday starter Hunter Gaddis, who has won his first three starts with a 0.93 ERA.

Gaddis was 4-4 with a 3.72 ERA as a freshman while pitching as the Saturday starter. He led the team with 67 strikeouts in 75.0 innings, against 19 walks, and had a .227 average against.

Following his standout rookie season, Gaddis became the first Panther to pitch for the Team USA Collegiate National Team.

Saturday starter Jake Rogers (2-1, 3.18) is also off to a strong start, including 6-2/3 scoreless innings in a combined shutout of Jacksonville. Sunday starter Jordan Lee (1-0, 3.63), allowed just one run on one hit in 6.1 innings vs. Eastern Illinois.

Midweek starter Bryan White, who will take the mound against Georgia Tech, has opened the season with 9.1 scoreless innings, including 5.2 at Auburn two weeks ago.

Georgia State’s 2018 schedule is perhaps the most challenging in school history, highlighted by Power 5 foes Auburn, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Minnesota and Ole Miss for a total of eight games. The Sun Belt Conference is tougher than ever with South Alabama and Coastal Carolina (which won the 2016 NCAA title) both in the Top 25 (and both in Georgia State's division), plus perennial power Louisiana Lafayette.

Now in his 12th season, head coach Greg Frady is Georgia State’s career victory leader with 336 for the Panthers as part of his 523 career wins.

Georgia Tech holds a 65-10 advantage in the all-time series, which began in 1971, and have won nine in a row. The Panthers have earned four victories over Tech under head coach Greg Frady, most recently in 2012.